Insanity of a Quiet Nature
by MurakumoSquad
Summary: "But what if the boy waiting deep down in the Water Temple was not in fact the Hero of Time's own manipulated shadow? Although some may disagree, it is much easier to train a conscious mind than it is a hollow entity." A series of glimpses from the moment Dark Link came to be, to the moment he met his fate in the Room of Illusions. (Dark Link-centric, warnings inside.)


**A/N: **You'll have to excuse me, it's been a while since I've written fanfiction. I've wanted to write a story like this for quite a while now. I'd appreciate any form of criticism. This chapter seems rather rushed :/

**Title: **Insanity of a Quiet Nature

**Author: **MurakumoSquad

**Summary: **A series of glimpses from the moment Dark Link came to be, to the moment met his fate in the Room of Illusions.

**Warnings: **Violence, physical and sexual abuse.

**Chapter: **1/?

~O~O~

"I don't understand why this is even necessary."

"Of course you don't, mind your own business, child."

Nabooru scowled lightly, turning her fierce eyes to the two small witches at her side. Her fingers fisted the material of her pants with annoyance. She knew nothing of what they were even doing, but she could at least figure out that it had something to do with the young boy bound on the iron table top.

The room was dark and dank and made her feel sick. All along the walls sat rows and rows of iron bars that caused her to grit her teeth and remind her of the four years she was stuck behind them. The cobblestone was old and falling apart and every surface was covered in dirt and grime.

Nabooru did not know his name. She knew nothing of him. His hair was a startling black, and he had clear olive skin. The clothes he wore were ripped and bloody and covered in mud. From where she was standing, Nabooru could not identify any injuries but the complexion of his skin made the collection of thin white scars across his arms and legs very prominent.

Koume and Kotake sat either side of him, their small hands placed atop his forehead where his eyebrows creased from what looked like pain. She'd been standing there watching them for almost an hour and Nabooru had no knowledge of what they were doing. The boys fingers curled into fists and his skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. Nabooru watched silently as the boy continued to fidget.

"We fear the boy may return," Kotake turned to look at Nabooru. She wondering what boy the old hag was referring to.. "Ganondorf does not believe that he will return. It has been five long years."

"But something is coming." Koume continued, "it may or may not be this Hero, even we are unsure. Nevertheless, if something is to rise, it is important that we are prepared."

"If the Hero were to rise, he would be powerful. There is still two pieces of the Triforce missing and the King suspects Princess Zelda of owning at least one of them. Do you know what that means?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to her with grave looks. Nabooru shook her head. This Triforce nonsense never made sense to her.

"It would mean that someone else has the last piece of the Triforce, and if the Princess were to find them, it would make things rather difficult."

_Why tell me though, _Nabooru thought. _Are you telling me to go find the one with the last piece?_

"And why am I being told this?" Nabooru asked, desperately hoping that whatever it was she had to do involved being outside of the castle. Or the dungeon at least.

No one spoke for a very long time. The child started to whimper at some point and Nabooru scowled and chose to inspect all four walls of the room instead. When he was silent, she turned back to him and watched as the two witches took their hands from him.

"It is done." Koume stated.

"It will not wear off." Kotake continued.

"The rest is in your hands." They both said to her.

"The Gerudo are very well known for their swordsmanship, you in particular. You know how to handle any weapon Nabooru, as well as defend yourself. That was the reason we chose you." Koume and Kotake turned their gaze from the other Gerudo woman, to the unconscious figure on the table. "Imagine this boy to be the Hero that will save Hyrule. We are leaving you to train him into thinking so. He will master everything you have ever mastered and more. You will teach him how to kill. He is to do so without thought, without hesitation. You are capable of doing that yourself. It should not be hard for you to pass it on to him."

"When and if the time comes, he will be the one to strike down any petty enemy who dares to appose the King. If you are unable to do this Nabooru, there will be punishments."

Nabooru grit her teeth with annoyance as the two old witches chuckled. She placed her hands by the young boys legs and stared down at him. She could train him, yes.

"But I don't understand," she thought out loud. "This boy is alive, he isn't just another one of your shadows you make with magic. He's an actual person. If you're so worried about this becoming such a success, why not just make another shadow?"

That would've been the appropriate choice, right? Training an artificial creation would be much easier than training a living being with the power of emotion and thought. Although, Nabooru's mind wandered a little and she thought she knew the answer.

"Have you ever killed a living person, child?" Kotake laughed as Koume imitated thrusting a sword in the air next to her. Nabooru stared for a second before looking away. Well...

"Ending the life of a person who shares just as much blood as you do isn't easy," Kotake went on, "Not for some people anyway. All these creatures that wander around the halls would lose not a drop of blood if they were injuries. Striking them down is child's play; you know. You've killed quite a lot of them."

"But just imagine," Koume laughed, "the look of pure terror on that boys face as he realized that the only way through, was to leave behind a body. Aha, it would be quite amusing to see such a look." They both laughed together and Nabooru sneered in disgust. Yeah, she couldn't imagine how horrible it would be. Whether it was to save Hyrule or not, a lesson like that would come with many punishments. There was a difference between injuring someone and spilling their blood.

"He won't wake up for a while," Koume suddenly addressed her. "We'll let you know when it is time. He'll drift in and out of consciousness. In those times, you're to make sure he stays healthy and hydrated. There are many things you must be prepared for."

There was a chorus of chuckles before a puff of smoke had Nabooru looking away for a few seconds. When she turned back, the two witches were hovering over the boy on their broomsticks.

"Come now. We have things to do. When he awakes he'll have questions. For now, he will rest."

Nabooru nodded, and turned to follow the two towards the open cell gate. Before she left, she looked back at the boy with pity in her eyes.

~O~O~

When his eyes caught the light for the first time, it burnt. Tears ran down his cheeks, his fingers twitched. Voices whispered in his ear, footsteps came and went. Every so often something small and round was pressed to his lips and he learnt to accept it when he tasted fresh water. For some time, when he was concious enough to feel, he lay on his back with something hard weighing down on his wrists. He didn't have the willpower to question or wonder. Dreams never came to him, even when he woke with something soft beneath his body and his wrists no longer feeling so heavy. It was easy to accept the change. Sometime after, he felt strong enough to question whether he had been moved. The air was lighter, smelled fresher, his shoulders and his hips dug comfortably into the soft surface beneath him. All thoughts brought sleep crashing down with exhaustion until he could feel himself getting stronger and stronger.

His fingers twitched beside him. Footsteps continued to come and go. Every night was dreamless. When he truly awoke for the first time, he wasn't to realise that he had been in such a state for three months.

~O~O~

Nabooru toed the door open slowly, steadying the tray in her hand. She entered the small room and used her foot to close the door. She moved over to the single table in the room, scraping off some of the hard candle wax to make room for the meal she had prepared. When she set it down her eyes moved over to the lump under the bed and her eyebrows rose in surprise.

He was getting stronger. Koume said it would happen. Sometimes she'd sit and watch the boy shiver and thrash in his sleep. Nabooru never expected him to regain such strength in so little time. He was able to move now and not just in his sleep. Sometimes she sit and watch him stare at the ceiling with glazed eyes and move his arms or kick his legs or murmur words that meant nothing in particular for hours.

He was currently curled up on his side with his fingers twisted into the blanket. Nabooru could only see his messy black hair and his closed eyes. She sat down carefully in the empty space beside him and place a hand on his shoulder. Her other hand went to the small canteen of liquid that Koume had given her before leaving the kitchen. The witch's instructions were clear; it was time to wake him up for good.

Nabooru shook his shoulder vigorously until she heard a groan and saw his eyebrows knit together in obvious annoyance. When his eyes opened, he did not see her immediately. She shoved his shoulder until he was lying somewhat on his back, then placed her hand on the back of his head to lift it up. Both of his hands came up to support the canteen as she lifted it to his lips. He accepted it with no complaint and drank greedily until the container was empty. Nabooru reached forward and wiped away some of the liquid that had run down his chin. She took away the container and watched as the boy blinked a couple of times before turning his head slowly to look at her. It was rather startling to have him so concious and awake we he'd been so dead for so long.

"Come, sit." She mumbled, using one hand on his wrist to pull him up while she adjusted the pillows behind him for support. She felt a little amused at his shocked looked as he surveyed the room he'd never seen before. Nabooru made him shuffle back until he was leaning against the headboard and reached over to put the tray of food on her own lap. His eyes came to rest on her own, before staring down at the bowl. She put it down gently onto his lap, and held out the spoon. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before opening his mouth.

"How-" His voice was rough.

"No." She reached forward and placed a finger against his lips and he leaned back to cough heavily into his hand. "There's no rush. We can talk later. Take things slow. For now, I just need you to eat this. You haven't had a decent meal in a while."

He stared at her with his his hand still placed firmly over his lips. When she held out the spoon once again, he wrapped his shaking fingers around it and looked down to the soup in his lap. He didn't hesitate; Nabooru didn't think it was normal. He took his first bite, and didn't stop until the bowl was empty and he was looking up at her as if he was expecting more.

~O~O~

A day after he had first awoken, and the first thing that he asked was for her name.

She sat with her chair facing the bed and her feet crossed over onto the sheets. His voice was rough and he coughed a few times and drank a little more water before asking again. Nabooru was surprised by this. He had woken up with no knowledge of who he was or where he was and the first thing that was on his mind was her.

"My name is Nabooru, but aren't you a little more concerned with who you are?" She asked. _Or where you are, or why, or how and for how long, _she thought, but she knew that he could wonder about himself and his parents and his home town all he wanted and he would not remember a thing.

He frowned at her question and looked down at his own hands in his lap. "Is this... Am I dreaming? Am I real? I feel like I've been dreaming for a long time."

_You have, _she desperately wanted to say, but held her tongue anyway. His eyes were fierce as he asked. Her answer-the answers to all the questions he could possible ask-was scripted. She wanted to say yes.

"No. Not really. Not like I am. You were created from another body for only one purpose," she stated quietly, picking at the gold band around her wrist. That statement sat in the air for a long time, and she could see the confusion in his facial features. Minutes passed before he spoke again.

"What is my name then? Do I have one?" He didn't look at her.

"Yes," she answered quietly, "your name is Dark Link."

He accepted it as she said it, closing his eyes and nodding. After that, he was silent. Nabooru sat forward and started to gather the dirty dishes and place them on the tray. When she held the tray out in front of her and stood up, he held out the glass that he had been drinking from and placed it next to his dirty bowl. She shot him a smile that he did not see because he was to busy rubbing his eyes and yawning. When she reached the door, she balanced the tray on her hip and opened it.

"Nabooru."

Nabooru turned to the boy who had called her name. He was nestled down into the covers with the blanket pulled up to his chin and he slightly reminded her of the small blond child she had met so many years ago.

"What is that purpose? I know how people are born. Was I not born?"

That was the right question. The one she thought he would be so eager to hear the answer of. Only, lying under the covers like he was, with that look in his eye. It only made him look scared.

"No, you weren't born. My King, Ganondorf, he created you. I suppose, in a way..." She stopped for a moment, directing her gaze to the door frame so she didn't have to see his curious eyes. "It's hard for me to explain. Perhaps another time, when you have fully recovered. Maybe the king will explain it to you himself.."

"As for your purpose though," Nabooru looked up and forced a smile. She grit her teeth uncomfortably, remembering Kotake's careful instructions about making him feel like the good guy. "You're going to become a hero, Dark Link. You're going to...save a lot of people." _In more ways than one._

She stared down at her feet for a little longer, before closing the door behind her. She heaved a sigh as she left, and wondered if that thought left him with a smile.


End file.
